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War
James Steelflame, otherwise known as War, was the General of the Imperial Caylixian Empire, and one of the''' Riders of Thyrilestil. War was killed on Gozran the 2nd, Year 1017. He was slain attempting to kill '''The Dragon, causing cataclysmic damage to the plane and it's denizens. Legacy James Steelflame was a legendary figure of Oustomia, and a truly frightening foe to behold. Even as his mind began to slip, he only became more powerful. He fought in many wars, many battles, and never once yielded on his beliefs. Although he died early on in his life, he would find himself given a second chance by Tae'lana. As the first of the Riders, James shaped much of Caylixian History and how they organized their Military, and inspired loyalty and pride in his Nation. As time went on, he led with honor, and upon meeting Arryn, they were together for some time, and before her untimely demise, they sired a child - a young boy, named Aron Steelflame. A son he would never know. James' life finally ended when he attempted to slay the man he blamed for his lover's death, managing to wound a Greater Deity, as a mere mortal - a truly enormous accomplishment, and one that would be remembered forever. Despite this, The Dragon forgave him, and judged him for his noble, honorable, if not misguided deeds, and sent him to Nirvana, to be with his lover, for the rest of his days, but most of all, to finally put aside his weapons, his armor, and his hatred. War would not be remembered for his mindless slaughter of orcs, or the way he hated the Living for a brief time. No, War would be remembered for the way he threw himself at foes who desired nothing more than to kill all who opposed them. War would be remembered as a Hero of Caylixia, a man who fought for freedom and equality for his people in a world that hated them. War would be remembered as a Hero of Oustomia, joining the halls of legends who had dedicated their lives to defending their world. James was given the rare honor of being given a statue within the Temple of Heroes, a special place for Adventurers like him. History "There is only War." Once upon a time, many, many years ago, there was a young, handsome Knight-Champion in service of the Golden Lions, a powerful Company in service of the Kingdom of Egron. This Knight-Champion, known as James Steelflame, was an outstanding, honorable Knight in service of Egron during the Second Orc War, and his prowess was legendary among the already legendary Golden Lions. Of course, it was not to last forever. As the Egronians began to get more and more pushed back by the oncoming orc horde, James Steelflame was on the front lines of all the combat; valiantly fighting against the orcs as they ravaged his homeland, but during this war, when James saw a group of Egronians doing as much damage as the orcs who were coming, James realized that war was awful. War was the epitome of evil, and turned good individuals deadly. His hatred of living beings grew, and he desired things he could not have - he wanted to force the orcs and humans to live together, in harmony and peace, to rule over them with an iron fist and force them to cooperate, so to speak. He believed the orcs should be enslaved, and likewise, he believed that Egron should also be enslaved. His beliefs eventually brought him into conflict with the other individuals of the Golden Lions, the majority of which were proud Paladins - and he was too, at one point. He hid it well, but eventually it was revealed that had fallen from the light of Iomedae, and had become an Antipaladin. Lady Jasmine Rose, however, decided that he still served a purpose, and put his bloodthirsty desire for death to good use by allowing him to continue fighting for his homeland. When it came to fighting, James Steelflame pushed himself to his limits, and was killed in battle. He died surrounded by hundreds of dead orcs, in a fight against one of the Seven Sins, known as Wrath. Although he gave Wrath a run for his money, he was ultimately felled. The man known as James Steelflame was entombed near the Tomb of Heroes, a place originally made for Lord Darius Falmark, and a number of individuals who served Egron and Haven valiantly. This was, ideally, to be his final rest. It was not to be. His body was eventually exhumed, and given new life as he was resurrected. He was given a choice: Join the individual known as Tae'lana Thyrilestil, or be returned to his fateful rest. He chose to join her, once he learned of her ideals, and her motivations. He was eager to join her for a multitude of reasons, including the chance to gain more power, to live again, and to see his own desires come to fruition. Despite his distaste of it, he even agreed to become her Rider of War, one of her Four Riders. His first mission was to attack the city of Silverwatch with the Kriger Tribe, and indeed, he assaulted it with the orcs and took it successfully. He single-handedly killed the Minotaur Commander of the Guard and left without another word. It'd be a lie to say he wasn't proud of his new strength. But it was too much ''strength, he realized. His Queen, Tae'lana, agreed with him in this aspect, and before long, a collar was made for him, something to limit his own strength and powers. It worked wonderfully, and he was able to allow his body to get use to the new strength he had. When the '''Kingdom of Caylix' was formed, James became the General for the new Kingdom - he was the obvious choice, thanks to his expertise in battle and strategy. He was on his way to becoming a true and powerful member of the Kingdom. He need only learn from Tae'lana... There Is Only War For a long time after going into service underneath Tae'lana, James Steelflame remained as he was - a relatively human, if not very egotistical combatant. He regularly fought against the encroaching corruptive personality that threatened to overtake him, and much of his humanity remained thanks to the friendship of the Druidess known as Arryn. Her kindness and ability to see through his Undead side, to see him for who he truly was, mediated him into someone who wasn't awful. He enjoyed fighting, he enjoyed the thrill of combat, the power of War. But he was not evil, truthfully. However, when Arryn died, James Steelflame ceased to be. There was only War. James Steelflame finally gave himself over to the corruptive influence of being a Graveknight, and with it, his mind became different, more focused on one thing: War. He wanted destruction, combat. He wanted the thrill of it constantly. There were few things that could calm him, his constant rage filled him anger and hate. For days, he raged. His unliving anger was unable to be tamed, unable to be moderated by anyone - even Tae'lana could not calm him. Whenever the time came, he emerged from his personal barracks, and went to visit Arryn once again. What he saw, was unexpected, as she emerged from the ground, as though buried, and was renewed, but changed. He cradled her, and gathered her up, taking her to the Mistress to examine her. Although the damage was done, with War's strength and anger filling him, the only one who could truly calm him was Nyrra, his dearest friend and closest ally; a lover, in some ways. Death of Nyrra Unfortunately, as time went on, with Nyrra fighting more on the frontlines, becoming Pestilence to Tae'lana, it was the duo of War and Pestilence that brought downfall to many of Maloglash's strongest minions. Indeed, few could stand up to the combined might of two powerful Horsemen of Thyrilestil. Eventually, when War was off fighting the forces of Maloglash with other Caylixians, Nyrra was aiding Hikari Shiro, and when Hikari was slain, Nyrra sacrificed herself - and her life - to give Hikari life once again. War felt it distinctly, the severing of the connection he had with the one thing that kept him sane, and he barely held on long enough to meet Hikari outside of Wolfsreach, where he challenged him to a duel. The battle raged on, with both scoring hits on the other. Just when War was going in for a powerful blow, he was whisked away, by his Mistress, Tae'lana. But by now, his anger and hatred was unable to be stopped; he was forever and permanently enraged. Without Nyrra to calm him, there was nothing to be done, except to unleash him on the foes of the Imperial Caylixian Empire. The only ones he truly recognized were Conquest and Tae'lana, and they were the only individuals he would listen to, if only barely... Returning Thoughts When Maloglash finally fell, and Tae'lana ascended to a new state of being, War's mind was given clarity, a new found will to break free. He broke his allegiance to Caylixia, to the Raven Queen, and to Emperor Cyrus, he gathered a host of Undead and left on a mission; a quest to revive the one and only woman he had ever loved. He was overridden with guilt, pain, and agony from the loss of Arryn, and in the end, it was his fault that she was dead, something he wanted to amend. He had pushed her away, for her own good, and even as she had become Nyrra, he realized he had forced his rage onto her, no doubt pushing her to desire a death of her own. The only way he could fix it was to become a better man, rising up from the ashes of his rage and anger, he would find her, and bring her back to Oustomia. To him. Even if it took everything he had. No Fairness For Pigs But of course, it was not meant to be - after scouring the worlds for ten long years, desperate to find something to give him some little clue, some bit of information that would lead him in a direction, he realized that the only way he would be able to bring her back would be to conquer Death itself, an idea that brought a smile to his face, for Death was his enemy in every way. Hikari was Death, and he would conquer it, if it meant bringing Her back. He would do everything he could, and his plans were already set in motion. His time spent finding a way to bring back those who's souls were permanently gone brought him a wealth of information regarding it, and all of it pointed in the same direction: Pharasma. But with her gone, there were only two who could help him. To Reclaim What's Rightfully Mine Indeed, the information he had gained sent him on a new spiral, his vast armies of Undead he had gathered would serve him well, providing him the means to slay those who stood in his way. He would wage a bloody war across the planes, and succeed, or die trying. He had nothing else to live for, after all. The Fires of War War gathered an army of undead, and daemons, and rampaged through the cosmos. He slaughtered a Daemonic Harbringer, a Solar General, and an Infernal Duke to retrieve the things he needed. He found information, knowledge, and eventually exited a Vault on the 9th Layer of Hell, Nessus, with an Artifact of immense power in hand - the Blade of Eul. An ancient blade crafted from a sun, and filled with millions of souls of creatures that it had taken when the sun it was crafted from killed all life around it. The blade would be his tool, and so, he went to the Land of Light and Dark to bring back the one he loved. It was a fool's errand, but one he undertook gleefully. He went to the Land, fighting off adventurers who had been sent to stop him, and even though they weakened him briefly, he was able to stand his own against Hikari, the Dragon. He fought him valiantly, releasing the Artifact Blade and fighting the deity on even terms. But it was not to be. He sacrificed his own life for one, final attack on Hikari, wounding him, and killing himself in the process. The last thing anyone saw was War's soul, going to his own special afterlife, in Nirvana, where Arryn '''had also gone. He shed his armor, his weapons, his hatred, and most of all, his rage. Because now, in Nirvana, he could rest easy. He was with her. Aftermath Despite his wrongdoings, his hatred, and his rage, War - James Steelflame - was given a Heroes Monument in '''Nevermore, as well as in Haven. He was recognized as a National Hero of both the Kingdom of Egron, and the Imperial Caylixian Empire for his deeds against The Pale King, the Oni Emperor, and Maloglash. History would recall these good deeds, and recall the charismatic, cheerful man that James Steelflame had become when Arryn had come into his life. He had changed from the cynical, hateful man that hated life, to a happier, eager, and enthusiastic man who wanted to change the world - and he did. The name of James Steelflame would be placed in the Hall of Heroes, alongside Hikari Shiro, for in life, they were friends, and allies, and even though they became enemies, their companionship would remain. Forgiveness heals all wounds. James Steelflame was a Hero of Humanity, and he would be recognized as such. However, unknown to most, if not all individuals with the exception of his Fey Lover, James Steelflame and Arryn did have a single child, a child who the Raven had already been watching with interest. Physical Appearance "I will be there at the end, as I was there at the beginning." Out of his armor, War is a surprisingly handsome, tall Egronian man, with tanned skin, white hair and a rather muscular build. Formerly a Soldier, he keeps a fit body, even in undeath. In his armor, War is covered head to toe in the dark, black Maloglashium armor that gives him the benefits of his movement, as well as his heavily armored functionality. Personality * Quiet * Angry * Withdrawn * Intelligent * Charismatic(when he wants to be) * Apathetic War is a relatively uncaring individual who's only emotions he ever truly shows are anger, hatred, and other similar forms of rage. The only one who ever sees a softer side of him is Nyrra, whom he has an undulating affection for. Outside of combat, he remains calm, quiet, withdrawn and typically only barely pays attention, even when addressed. Friends & Foes War has few friends, and even fewer individuals he considers to be true foes. The individuals he considers to be 'foes' are individuals he respects as combatants, and also individuals he intends to target first if he ever fights them. Friends Tae'lana '- She rose him from the dead and gave him another chance to do good. She has made him the General of her armies; truthfully, she has given him everything. He highly respects her, but also doesn't trust her. 'Nyrra '''- His closest and dearest friend, and the only one whom he loves, and the only one who can calm him down during his rages. '''The Horsemen of Thyrilestil - The other four Horsemen of Thyrilestil are considered friends; Famine, Pestilence, Conquest and Death are his comrades. Although Pestilence, being Nyrra, holds a higher standing, he still respects Famine, and Death, and especially Conquest because she is, in essence, his leader. Foes 'Hikari Shiro '- Hikari Shiro is one of the few individuals that War considers one of his most significant enemies. He considers Hikari his equal in combat, as the former Pestilence, he also has a healthy respect for him. On the other end, since he is the former Pestilence, War hates Hikari for abandoning their cause for that of 'good', and wishes to see his demise. Combat Style Category:Player Characters Category:Graveyard